


Trauma

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Series: Dad!Jason AU [7]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 08:35:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4600053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because despite what he’d told the child, Damian <i>wasn’t</i> okay. And Dick knew, from his own experience really...he wasn’t going to be <i>okay</i> for a very long time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trauma

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from tumblr, for 1000 followers
> 
> Stop making me write angsty things for this au~~~ /whine. Damian is eight here. I didn’t mention it, but the blindfold was taken off when they got to the second location. Bruce, Dick and Jason are all so mad/tense at each other because they all blame each other for what happened. Later, Damian will not let either of his dads leave his side. You asked for angst so I gave you angst. I don’t feel bad~

With no one else around, Damian could admit it. Just to himself. Just in his own mind.

He was _scared_.

He sucked his lips through his teeth – accidentally got some of the bandana covering his mouth as well - to stop himself from crying. He pulled and yanked at the rope around his wrists, and the knot holding it together. It was tight, and it was hurting his shoulders. His nose itched but he couldn’t reach it, not with his arms stuck at the small of his back.

His legs were duct-taped at his ankles, and he could still feel the blood running down his leg from when he tried to run. When he fell flat on his face and skinned both of his knees.

It had all happened so fast.

It was school trip, one he’d been looking forward to for _months_. A sleepover at the natural history museum with his class. The class of thirty students was going to be split up into six groups, each with a chaperone, and sleep in each of the different themed halls. It’d taken weeks, but Damian had not only succeeded in being put in Nell and Colin’s group, but convinced Mr. Meyers to let their group be the one to sleep in the Hall of Dinosaurs.

The lights had just gone out for the night. Damian was still lying there next to Colin, staring dreamily up at the skeletons of the pterodactyls, when he heard the shatter of glass, when he heard gruff shouting, followed by the growing shrieks of some of his classmates.

Their chaperone – Bill Janson, his classmate Tanya Jason’s grandfather – had just stood up, when the men burst in, waving flashlights and guns and shouting orders so loud it echoed.

Tanya and Nell started screaming immediately, while Colin and Tom both just gasped, frozen to their spots. Damian did neither, just watched as one of the men grabbed Bill Janson’s arm and threw him to the ground, watched as the others came swarming into the room.

Watched as one of the masked men stared right at him, and smiled.

“He’s here!” He called over his shoulder, and all the other criminals stopped. “We’ve got him!”

Damian’s instinct kicked in then. The words Baba always said. The ones Didi always reiterated. “Never fight, baby. Promise me you’ll never fight. If you’re ever in trouble, promise me you’ll always just-”

 _“Run!”_ Damian had screamed at his friends. And he had to give them credit, they all did. Shouting as they went, but they ran nonetheless. He ran, too. Stumbling and terrified, he ran, too.

Just not fast enough.

It was when he was turning a corner, his socked feet had slipped on the marble floor, and he went tumbling into a heap, pajamas torn and knees skinned raw. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as he pushed up onto his hands, but never got that chance to recover, never got the chance to let out a hitched breath of pain as someone grabbed his collar and yanked him backwards.

Tied arms, taped legs, a blindfold, a gag and a ten minute car ride later and here he was. On the floor of some dirty room, alone save for the man standing in the doorway with his back turned.

So yeah, he could say it.

He was scared.

He was downright _petrified_.

(He just wanted his Baba.)

It wasn’t long until one of the men offered him food. Damian had huffed and turned up his nose. The men tried to push it, and one went so far as to grab the arm already permanently twisted behind his back and yank on it. But Damian tried to stand his ground. Kept his face turned away, remained silent.

As the men shouted – more at each other than at him, though he wasn’t really paying attention – Damian closed his eyes. Tried to picture Baba. Tried to picture Didi, and the kiss his dad had bestowed on him outside of the museum a few hours previously.

Because as much as Damian was looking forward to the school trip, he was still nervous about the sleepover. Still nervous about being away from his fathers overnight. He’d asked his Didi, even as Baba leaned down and kissed his cheek too, if he was sure he couldn’t chaperone. Because Mr. Meyers would let him, Damian knew. It still wasn’t too late.

And as Baba held him in one last hug, Didi laughed, leaned down and gave him a second goodbye kiss. Pressed their foreheads together as he whispered. “Be brave, little bird. We’ll be waiting for you right here in the morning.”

Damian inhaled as the men left the room. As the guard took his station at the door once more.

_Be brave, little bird. Be brave._

But how was he supposed to be brave if he was never going to see Didi or Baba again?

His lip involuntarily quivered. No, _no_. He would not cry. He would _not_. He was brave. He was the son of Talia al Ghul, the biological child of Bruce Wayne. He was raised by Nightwing, by two former Robins. He knew _Batman_ , he would. Not. Cry.

Suddenly, he heard a _thunk!_ outside the window to his right. Saw the shadow against the glass, of a rope going taut.

Maybe now he wouldn’t have to.

The kidnappers were still taken by surprise when Batman burst through the glass, Nightwing right on his heels. Batman landed, and instantly jumped towards the door, taking out the guard with a quick punch to the face, before disappearing into the hallway.

Nightwing didn’t follow, instead sprinting across the room, and dropping to his knees in front of Damian.

He didn’t want to cry. Tried everything he could not to. But, with Nightwing here, with his Didi tearing the tape off his ankles, reaching hurriedly around him to cut the rope on his hands, he couldn’t quite help himself. Couldn’t quite stop those tears from overflowing.

“Shh, I’ve got you baby.” Dick whispered, bringing his arm back around, and using both hands to gently tug the gag from Damian’s mouth. Damian only whimpered as Dick took his face in his hands, let his eyes dart across his dirty, now tear-stained, cheeks before pulling him tight against his chest, near doubling over him. “I’ve got you now, honey. I’ve got you.”

Damian clung to him. Dug his nails into the body armor and pulled at it as he let out quiet sobs. “D-D-Didi…”

“Shhh,” Dick still sounded tender, still comforting, but Damian knew it was a reprimand. No real names when they’re wearing masks, not even when you’re terrified. Dick ran a hand over Damian’s hair, holding him tighter, starting to rock him back and forth. It was now that Damian could feel the shaking of Dick’s own body. The trembles born from his own fear. “You’re okay, Damian, I’ve got you. I’ve-”

“Get him out of here.” Came a low voice from the door. Damian jumped, hung on tighter as Dick turned just slightly. He could see the top of Batman’s head, the points of his cowl, just over Nightwing’s shoulder. “Take him to the manor. Penny-One is on standby for any sort of medical treatment.”

Dick nodded, shifted his hand to gather Damian further into his arms. Damian didn’t complain, just went with the movement, wrapped his arms almost chokingly around Dick’s neck. “And what will you tell the commissioner?”

“Just what he needs to know.” Bruce growled as Dick stood, carefully rearranged Damian’s legs around his waist. He backed up as Dick came through the door, stared as Dick paused. “…Damian?”

Damian just glanced upwards from his position burrowed against Dick’s neck.

“I’m sorry, son.” Bruce whispered, mimicking Dick’s gesture, stroking his fingers over Damian’s sweaty hair. “I’m so sorry.”

“Later, B.” Dick murmured, backing away before Bruce could remove his hand. “And to _Jason_.”

Bruce frowned, then. “Tell him to keep his temper in check.”

“Unlike _you_ ,” Dick spat, and Damian faintly wondered why he was so angry at Batman. “Jason doesn’t take his emotions out on his _kids_.”

If Batman was going to respond, Dick didn’t give him a chance before stomping away. When they reached the end of the hallway, Damian sensed it was another room. He didn’t see it, though, because his Didi suddenly held his face against his throat, began humming the song he used to when Damian was a fussy toddler. Damian sensed him stepping over things, though, and he couldn’t help but wonder if they were unconscious bodies.

“Didi…” Damian whispered, when he believed them to be in a stairwell, and completely alone. “My…my friends. Mr. Meyers…they were…”

“They’re all safe, baby.” Dick replied. “It was…” A pause for a crack in the words. A shaky exhale and a kiss to Damian’s temple. “It was just you that they took. Everyone else is safe and sound.”

Damian squeezed his fingers in the Nightwing spandex. “Oh.”

“Colin was going to come after you.” Dick mentioned thoughtfully, as he let go of Damian’s back just for a second, just to push the door open. Damian felt a whoosh of cold air against his back and shivered. “And we looked away long enough that he almost did.”

Damian was going to ask what had happened, going to ask where his class was now, but he didn’t get a chance to before he heard a loud, hopeful call of, “’Wing?”

“Here, Jay.” Dick called back. Damian only just turned his head in time to see his Baba racing towards them, almost body slamming into them to help support Damian’s weight.

“Damian,” He breathed, peppering his face with quick, panicked kisses. “Oh, Damian, are-”

“He’s fine.” Dick whispered as Jason leaned away, ran his hands down Damian’s back, looking for any evidence of harm. “They didn’t hurt him. As far as I can tell, anyway.”

“For your sake, I hope they fuc… _freaking_ didn’t.” Jason shot back. Damian frowned. Why was everyone so mad at each other?  “Because you _promised_.”

Damian felt Dick’s muscles tighten. “Jason, I told you-”

“You _promised_ me that you being Nightwing would _never_ put him in danger.” Jason hissed, and Damian saw Jason’s accusing finger appear above his head. “You _promised_ you would make sure no one _ever_ tracked Nightwing back to _him_.”

“And they _didn’t_.” Dick snapped. “It wasn’t _me_ they were trying to attack by taking him. It was _Bruce_.”

Jason paused, let his hand fall into a petting pattern across Damian’s still-aching shoulders. Damian sniffed, shifted his face to wipe his still falling tears against his Didi’s uniform. “Batman?”

“No, _Bruce_.” Dick still sounded harsh. “There was a picture on the wall of Damian from the arts gala last week, from when we were getting out of the limo. And the article about the Wayne family right next to it.”

Jason’s hand on his back stopped. “They don’t mention Damian’s relation to Bruce in that article.”

“No, but people are starting to see the similarities.” Dick sighed. “There was a picture of Bruce next to the one of Damian. Red circles and lines comparing the two.”

“Shit. _Shit_.” Jason breathed. Suddenly, Damian felt hands on his waist. “Here, give him to me. Let me hold him.”

When Jason pulled, Damian just tightened his grip on Dick’s neck, buried his face further into Dick’s shoulder.

“When I said he wasn’t hurt, I meant _physically_ , but _mentally_ …” Dick exhaled again, leaning his cheek on Damian’s head. “You should have seen his face, Jay. He was so… It would’ve broken your heart.”

“Then maybe I should break some of those assholes’ faces to return the favor.” Jason threatened, though Damian felt his Baba slide his arm protectively around Didi’s hips.

“I think Batman is already doing that on behalf of the both of us.” There was a light humour in Dick’s voice, and Damian heard the light smack of a kiss being shared between his parents. “But come on, Alfred’s waiting for us back at the manor. Gonna try to fix our little bird up.”

“Pfft, he’s going to _try_.” Jason snorted, keeping his arm firmly around Dick’s back, pressed protectively into Damian’s side. Damian slowly slid one arm away from Dick’s neck, and reached out. Jason met the searching hand and grasped tenderly at Damian’s fingers. His smile was sad, apologetic, and just the tiniest bit guilty. “Babe, you and I both know that won’t be _enough_.”

“No.” Dick sighed, rubbing at Damian’s still hitching back. He was still scared, still absolutely _terrified_ , even now, in the safety of his arms, in the safety of Jason’s presence. Because despite what he’d told the child, Damian _wasn’t_ okay. And Dick knew, from his own experience really, that it didn’t matter his genealogy. His bloodline, or even his upbringing. It didn’t matter how tough this eight-year-old was, he wasn’t going to be _okay_ for a very long time. “No, it won’t be.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Other things for Nevolition’s Dad!Jason AU](http://fishfingersandjellybabies.tumblr.com/tagged/dad%21jason+au)   
> 


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